Charles Arbuthnot

1767–1850

Charles Arbuthnot was a British diplomat and politician who served as ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, held several government offices and became a close associate of the Duke of Wellington. His wife, Harriet Arbuthnot, was also one of Wellington’s most trusted friends and kept a detailed political diary. Charles remained within Wellington’s personal circle after Harriet’s death and provided a link between diplomatic service, parliament and elite social life in the Regency period.

Arbuthnot is not usually the central subject of historical novels, but he may appear in fiction about Wellington, the Congress era and high political society. Novelists are often more interested in Harriet’s relationship with Wellington, leaving Charles as a discreet and sometimes enigmatic presence. His career nevertheless offers a useful perspective on the networks through which diplomacy, patronage and friendship operated around senior British statesmen.

In Julian Stockwin’s Pasha, Kydd enters the Dardanelles to evacuate ambassador Charles Arbuthnot and pressure the Ottoman government before fortifications can make withdrawal impossible.

Historical context

Historical periods linked to Charles Arbuthnot

Asia & the Islamic World 221 BCE–1,997 CE Ottoman Empire 1299–1922 CE

Series

Series featuring Charles Arbuthnot (1 series)

Thomas Kydd in Order

by Julian Stockwin 27 books 4.2

The Thomas Kydd series follows a Guildford wig-maker pressed into the Royal Navy in 1793 and traces his rise from inexperienced landsman to admiral. Across twenty-seven novels, Kydd learns the work of the lower deck, crosses to the quarterdeck and commands increasingly important ships during the French Revolutionary…

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